


The Fourth Sex

by RedParrot



Series: The Greater Good [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Corporal Punishment, Extremely Dubious Consent, Hurt/Comfort, Knotting, M/M, Omega Verse, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 11:48:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16304636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedParrot/pseuds/RedParrot
Summary: ‘Hurry up,’ growled Karl, ‘I’ve held off long enough as it is.’With shaking hands Clive undid his belt and pushed his trousers down, stepping out of them. He was about to collect his clothes together when he found himself being grabbed and forced onto the bed.‘You don’t have to be so rough,’ said Clive, ‘I’ll do what you need, you know I don’t have much choice.’His words seemed to rile Karl. The man glowered at him.‘Just be thankful you get paid for this, you’re kind are useless, you offer nothing to society. All you can do is act as a placebo.’





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a lot darker than the first story. As I said on the first story I want to explore the world I have created. This one concentrates on the Beta males, which, in my Omegaverse are quite different to others I have read. The story goes on to tackle the general oppression of the male sex(es).

Clive was caught in that glorious moment between sleep and wakefulness. The point where nothing mattered, where anything was possible. Then he remembered what had got him to that point. The buzz of his phone brought him to full alertness. He looked at the time. It was just gone six in the morning. He sighed. There was only one reason he would be getting a message on his phone at that time. 

His services were needed. 

As a Beta male society had deemed him not to be of much use. He could neither impregnate or become pregnant. He was a useless throwback to the time before the evolutionary leap. The time when the males were the dominant sex. Beta males were the closest biologically to the males of old. But now they were infertile and weaker than both woman and alpha males. If Clive was honest with himself Beta males were not really much stronger than Omega males. 

But the Beta male had one use. And that use was exploited. They could serve as a surrogate Omega and on rare occasions as a surrogate Alpha.

If a pack was missing its Omega and one of the Alpha’s was in rut, a Beta male would be called in to ‘help’. 

As he quietly went about dressing Clive recalled the last couple of times he had been required to serve Alpha males. One of them had been very apologetic at using him in such a manner and the other had treated him as if were a mere commodity. He wondered what today’s Alpha would be like. 

The message had said that a car had been dispatched to pick him up and that he was to be ready in twenty minutes. After quickly writing a note to the rest of his pack and leaving it by the kettle in the kitchen he slipped out of the house. The car was already waiting for him. 

As he put his seat belt on he glanced across at the female driver. She had not greeted him or looked at him. She was busy adjusting her sat nav to their destination. Clive was used to the way he was being treated. Many females were of the opinion that Beta males should be grateful for what they got as they could not contribute to the continuance of the species. 

The woman put the car in gear and moved off, Clive looked at the sat nav and noted that they were only going a few miles. The Alpha male he would be visiting was local. Clive wondered if he might know the man. He hoped not, he imagined it would be awkward to be used in the manner he was about to be by an acquaintance. 

Clive inwardly sighed, much as he hated what he was about to do if he wanted to continue to receive money from the state he had to remain registered as an active Beta. He wanted to contribute to his pack and this was the only way he was allowed to.

The journey was over far too quickly for Clive's liking. The woman nodded towards the nearest house before going back to pressing the screen of her satnav, no doubt preparing to visit another unfortunate Beta male. 

Clive stepped out of the car and walked to the front door of the house. He did not know the area, he hoped that would mean he would not know the Alpha who was about to take him to bed and fuck him. 

MMMM

The door was being opened as he reached it. The big Alpha male stared at him for a few seconds. Clive looked back, unable to hide the shock. 

He not only knew the man in front of him, but he also used to live with him. 

Karl Curren had been a member of the Thornton pack for three months after Michael, one of the previous Alpha’s, had been retired. The Alpha male had not gelled with the rest of the pack. He had clashed with Daniel and vied for position as the leader of the group. Meg had been forced to step in and practically demanded that Karl be removed. It had been a fraught few months. Clive remembered that Liam had been glad that he had not been through a heat with the overbearing Alpha. 

Karl had been moved on and was now the first Alpha of another pack, and he was in rut, and without an Omega. 

Clive continued to stare at Karl who scowled.

‘I didn’t know they would send you? How could I know?’ said Karl after a few seconds. 

Clive looked back down the driveway, but the woman had already driven off. Although he doubted the woman would have had much sympathy for his predicament. He could feel apprehension building in him. 

‘My Omega is pregnant,’ said Karl, ‘he’s gone into labour...my rut is...unfortunate.’

Clive had not moved from the spot. His mind whirled, he really did not want to go into the house with Karl. The Alpha male had taken a disliking to him in the few weeks they had lived together. Clive had taken to keeping away from the big male which had caused even more tension for the pack.

Karl took a couple of steps forward and wrapped his big hand around Clive’s arm and propelled him into the house. Clive allowed the Alpha to walk him through to a bedroom. As they passed the other rooms he noted that no one else was around. 

‘We’re alone,’ said Karl, ‘there’s no one you can complain to...not that they would listen anyway.’

Clive looked up at Karl who sneered at him before speaking again.

‘Look, I don’t like this any more than you do. I’d much rather be fucking my Omega, Paul is good and compliant with me. But he’s not here, and I’m in rut and need to fuck. So let’s just get it over and done with shall we.’

Karl gave Clive a shove towards the bed. He turned back to find Karl had shut the door and was busy stripping off his jeans, his t-shirt already gone. The muscular male would not have any problem holding him down. Clive knew he had no choice. And he wanted to get paid. If he were to refuse a job there was a good chance he would be taken from his pack and put back in the holding centre where most Beta males were forced to live out their lives. 

Slowly he started to unbutton his shirt before sitting on the edge of the bed to undo his trainers and pull them off. 

‘Hurry up,’ growled Karl, ‘I’ve held off long enough as it is.’

With shaking hands Clive undid his belt and pushed his trousers down, stepping out of them. He was about to collect his clothes together when he found himself being grabbed and forced onto the bed. 

‘You don’t have to be so rough,’ said Clive, ‘I’ll do what you need, you know I don’t have much choice.’

His words seemed to rile Karl. The man glowered at him. 

‘Just be thankful you get paid for this, you’re kind are useless, you offer nothing to society. All you can do is act as a placebo.’

Karl was correct of course, but that did not mean the Beta males had to be abused quite as much as a lot of women and Alpha males seemed to think was acceptable. 

When Clive did not move Karl took the lead, he grabbed the smaller man roughly and pushed him back onto the bed. Clive could not fight back as the big man climbed onto the bed straddling him. 

Clive looked around the room for lubricant, unlike Omega males who’s physiology meant their bodies were ready for sex, Beta males, like their ancient counterparts, needed to prepare for sex to prevent the act from being painful and injurious. 

‘No,’ said Clive, when he realised what was about to happen, ‘you’ll hurt me.’

But Karl did not seem to care. The Alpha male was too far gone in his rut haze. The man needed to fuck. But unlike going into rut at the same time as an Omega was in heat there was nothing to stop the Alpha’s aggression. The Omega scent would calm an Alpha to the point that the pair could enjoy their time together. With nothing to calm Karl’s primordial needs, he would just take what he needed with little care for the unfortunate man who was now staring up at him from the bed. 

Alpha’s were strong. And Karl was big, even by Alpha standards. His size had been one of the issues they had when he had lived with them. He was an easy match for Daniel and might have been able to beat the more conscientious man in a fight, which had led to the eventual move of the new Alpha male. 

Karl forced Clive over on to his front and pinned him down, pushing him into the bed. Clive could not help but panic. Previous times with Alpha males had been uncomfortable but the men were only doing what they had to do. Karl had already made it clear, by not using the lubricant that he did not care about Clive’s welfare in the slightest. 

Was he going to use Clive to get revenge on Daniel and Meg for arranging his move? The area he now lived in was not as affluent as the Thornton’s. Did Karl still hate the members of the pack enough to inflict pain on one of them? One that could not fight back.

Clive continued to struggle but his weak attempts to get away just seemed to encourage Karl to press down harder. 

‘Please,’ pleaded Clive, his voice muffled by the pillow he was being pushed into, ‘I could prepare myself, it’ll only take a few minutes.’ 

‘Shut up,’ sneered Karl before slapping him hard across the back of the head. 

The strike left Clive stunned, he stopped struggling for a few seconds, disorientated. He was vaguely aware of Karl moving him about, pushing his legs apart and pulling him up to his knees to make it easier to be fucked. Clive felt tears filling his eyes, he breathing was quick, he knew what was going to happen would hurt and there was nothing he could do about it. 

MMMM

The big man settled himself between Clive’s spread legs, he leaned forward for a few seconds and spoke quietly into Clive's ear.

‘You be a good Beta, and let me do what I need to then you can go back to your female.’

Clive screwed his eyes shut, there was no point trying to hide the fear of what was about to happen to him. Karl’s words just made it worse. Alpha males like Karl did not like women to be involved in the day to day lives of the packs, the packs were the only place where an Alpha male could actually lead.

Karl’s hands were on Clive’s hips holding him firmly. Clive made an effort to relax in an attempt to prevent what was just short of rape from hurting him. Clive had submitted to being used for sex with Alpha males. But he had not agreed to being hurt by them, and that was what was about to happen. 

The Alpha’s cock pressed against Clive for a seconds before being pushed firmly into him. Clive screamed into the pillow. He writhed, he tried to pull away, tried to escape. Karl moved one hand from Clive’s hip and pressed it into his shoulder, keeping him still, smothering the sound of the screams.

Karl mercilessly thrust into Clive, giving him no time to get used to the large cock that was invading him. The pain was excruciating. His screams lessened as he struggled for breath. Karl continued to fuck him for several minutes. Clive knew that Alpha’s could keep going for a long time with an Omega male, it was all part of the mating process. Generally when they were only having sex to ease their rut’s they came quickly and pulled out of the unfortunate surrogate Beta. 

But Karl clearly had other ideas. 

The one thing an Alpha male was not supposed to do with a Beta male was to knot him. The Beta males were not physically designed to take an Alpha knot. When Karl began to knot Clive he managed to twist his head enough to cry out. He wondered if Karl had forgotten himself. 

‘Please, don’t…’

Karl did not respond, he reached forward again and held Clive still to stop him from trying to pull away. As the knot grew inside him Clive’s breathing came in quick shuddering gasps. The pain worse than the sex had been. He felt as though he was being ripped in two. 

He felt dizzy, as though he was going to pass out. Clive welcomed the feeling. Anything to get away from the assault.


	2. Chapter 2

‘Why don’t more of the Beta’s live with packs? Why would they choose to stay at the holding centres?’ asked Sammy.

He was still finding his life out of the home filled with surprises. One of his bookshelves had already become devoted to history books. Clive had spent quite a lot of time explaining how society used to work. It all fascinated Sammy. The world had been a very different place before the evolutionary leap.

They were sat around the kitchen table enjoying a light lunch making the most of the weekend when they could all be together. Daniel was pottering about in the kitchen area making them coffee and tea. 

‘If a Beta is prepared to do what Clive does, they are allowed to live out of the home, either alone or with a pack. But not many Beta want to put themselves through that,’ replied Meg.

Sammy watched her exchange a glance with Jamie. 

‘What?’ asked Sammy.

‘I’ve told Clive, several times, that he doesn’t have to work. We would support him. I could apply to be his guardian and then he wouldn’t need to go back to the holding centre.’

‘His guardian?’

‘Another stupid rule,’ continued Meg shaking her head. ‘Beta males are rare, and they can’t contribute to the furtherance of the species. So the leaders made a decision early on that as they were of no use they did not deserve to enjoy the same luxuries as the rest of us. It’s barbaric and I hate it.’

Jamie took her hand in his and smiled at her.

‘But you’re trying to make a difference for them.’

Meg nodded. Sammy had been wary of Meg when he had first moved in with the Thornton’s, the only women he had known up to that point had ordered him around or supervised his heats. But Meg was lovely, she was kind and did whatever she could to get males equal rights. Her campaigning meant she had few female friends other than her fellow progressive women.

‘If I was Clive’s guardian,’ said Meg once she had taken a couple of calming breaths, ‘it would mean I was responsible for him, I would effectively own him.’

‘Like a slave?’ asked Sammy a little confused.

Meg chuckled, ‘not quite. But not far off. Some women take Beta males to use as servants because they are rare they are a bit of a talking point to those sorts of women.’

Sammy liked the way Meg rolled her eyes whenever she spoke of the women who wanted to keep males as second class citizens. 

Something suddenly felt odd to Sammy, he could not work out what it was. A strange feeling of negativity fell across him. He looked up at Jamie who was looking at him with a concerned expression.

‘You can feel it too can’t you?’ said Daniel from behind them.

The Alpha male was looking across at them both. 

‘What can you feel?’ asked Meg with obvious concern.

‘Something’s not right,’ said Sammy slowly trying to work out where the strange feeling was coming from.

It felt oppressive or intimidating, and there was a hint of pain and fear. But Sammy thought the two were not from the same source. He knew that males were very attuned to feelings and senses. They each gave off a scent which changed when they were in heat or rut. 

‘It’s an Alpha in rut,’ said Sammy suddenly feeling an unusual fear wash over him.

Some Alpha’s, if they were not with an Omega, were known to grab and rape the weaker Omega males to sate their needs. 

They all looked around when they heard a car pull up outside. The estate they lived on was quiet, and on a Sunday there was generally not much traffic at all on their road. Jamie was out of his seat and heading for the door, Daniel was only a step behind. 

Sammy, although a little scared found himself compelled to follow. He was becoming increasingly concerned about the lesser scent, the scent of fear and pain. As an Omega, it was in his nature to want to comfort and soothe those in pain. 

Jamie opened the door and stepped out, he paused for a second before rushing forward. Sammy followed, Daniel passed him on the path and walked out onto the street watching a car disappearing. 

Jamie was crouched by the shaking form of Clive. The Beta was lying slumped on the ground. His clothing was dishevelled, his trousers were undone and he was not wearing any shoes. Sammy knelt next to the prone figure and rested his hand on Clive’s shoulder. Clive flinched, he opened his eyes wide. It was obvious the man was very scared, he tried to curl up on himself. There were bruises on his face.

Sammy looked up at Jamie who was on the other side of Clive, Jamie looked shocked.

‘He’s bleeding,’ said the Alpha nodding towards the back of Clive’s trousers.

‘What the hell happened?’ asked Meg looking down at the men.

‘He’s been hurt,’ said Sammy, ‘let’s get him inside.’

Jamie nodded before shifting to slide his arms under Clive’s shoulders and knees. It was not much of an effort for the tall, strong Alpha male to pick up the much smaller, slighter Beta. Clive did not protest, tears fell on his flushed cheeks. Sammy wondered if Clive was embarrassed. 

Daniel had walked back up to them, he looked Clive over for a second before looking at Meg.

‘He needs a doctor.’

Meg nodded, she already had her phone in her hand and was looking for the number to call. 

Jamie carried the injured man into the house, Sammy darted ahead to open the door to the Beta’s bedroom. With a gentleness that belied his size, Jamie laid Clive down on the bed. Clive hissed in pain and tried to turn. Sammy instinctively reached out and helped him to move onto his side. Clive curled up again, shaking uncontrollably. Sammy pulled the duvet over him, then took his hands in his own and held on to him. Clive had his eyes shut.

‘Can you tell us what happened?’ asked Sammy.

‘It was...Karl,’ replied Clive quietly, ‘I think I passed out.’

Sammy looked up at the other members of the pack. Jamie looked a little confused but Daniel and Meg were both looking extremely angry. 

‘Who’s Karl?’ asked Sammy.

‘He was an Alpha male who lived with us briefly, before Jamie...he did not fit in well,’ said Daniel. ‘Meg managed to get him moved.’

‘The doctors on the way, she said we should clean him up.’

Daniel turned to Meg, ‘clean him up? He’s been assaulted, we should be calling the police.’

Meg looked down, before replying quietly, ‘he’s a Beta. They won’t care.’

MMMM

Daniel watched as the doctor, a strong looking woman, pulled on a pair of gloves in order to examine Clive. She had ignored both himself and Jamie in favour of talking to Meg who had showed the doctor through to Clive’s room. 

Sammy had managed to help Clive to peel off his clothes whilst they had waited for the doctor to arrive. Clive had managed to tell them that Karl had hit him a few times and held him down whilst he had sex with him. When the Beta had quietly said that Karl had knotted him Daniel had needed to walk out of the room. He had been so angry. 

Jamie had followed him out to see if he was alright. He had spent a few minutes recounting to the younger man what had happened when Karl had briefly lived with them. Jamie was shocked.

Now the doctor was standing over Clive. She had not said one word to the injured man since she had arrived. 

‘How long ago did this happen?’ she asked looking at Meg.

‘He was left outside about thirty minutes ago. He left to serve the Alpha early this morning.’

The doctor nodded, she reached over and turned Clive’s chin to the side to look at the bruising on his face. She felt along his hips and the small of his back which was covered in bruises, evidence of Clive being held down forcefully.

‘Nothing serious there, it will fade,’ she said dismissively, ‘pull your knees up.’

Clive slowly did as he was told with Sammy’s help. Sammy had not moved from Clive’s side, he had been holding the Beta’s hands and offering words of comfort the entire time. The doctor had initially wanted Sammy to leave the room but Meg had insisted that he be allowed to stay. 

Daniel was impressed with how Sammy had dealt with the situation, the young Omega had almost taken charge. He had directed Jamie to take Clive inside, he had shooed the rest of them away when Clive needed to be undressed. With a gentleness that only an Omega had Sammy had helped the assaulted man to remove his clothing before covering him with the duvet. 

When the doctor had arrived she had simply pushed the duvet off the naked Beta who had closed his eyes. Daniel got the impression the poor man wished to be anywhere but where he was with the strange woman looking at his abused body. 

The doctor put lubricant on her gloved finger and pressed it against Clive’s buttocks. The Beta male pulled away with a scared cry. The woman simply placed her left hand on his hip holding him still and continued with her examination, pushing her finger into him with little care.

‘You could have warned him,’ said Meg barely able to contain her anger. 

Daniel could see that poor Clive was struggling with the fear and the humiliation of what was happening to him. It was bad enough that Meg had to be in the room whilst he was being examined, but the female doctor clearly did not see him as anything other than a commodity. 

The doctor shook her head in disapproval of Meg’s attitude and continued to touch the traumatised man. Sammy was stroking Clive's arm and squeezing his hand. Clive had his eyes screwed shut and was trying to calm his quick breathing as the examination continued. 

When the doctor had finished she stood up pulling the gloves off. Sammy pulled the duvet back over Clive’s naked body and sat up on the bed with him, putting his arm around the Beta protectively. 

‘He has some internal injuries, but nothing that won’t heal in a couple of weeks. I’ll sign him off until then.’

Meg glared at the woman, ‘he’s been raped. He needs more than two weeks off.’

‘He’s been knotted, he submitted to the sex, the knotting was just an unfortunate accident.’

‘Alpha’s can control their knot, this was not an accident it was done deliberately. I told you the Alpha responsible has a disliking for my pack,’ said Meg, almost shouting at the doctor.

‘Oh don’t be so dramatic,’ replied the doctor, ‘sometimes they can’t help it.’

‘We can,’ said Daniel, ‘it is a voluntary action.’

The doctor looked at Daniel surprised for a few seconds. She looked shocked that he had spoken to her.

‘If an Alpha knots a woman he is severely punished,’ pointed out Meg.

The doctor began to pack her equipment away.

‘This is different, the Alpha was in rut. He might not have been able to help it. Perhaps your Beta encouraged him.’

Meg took a step towards the woman. Daniel wondered if she might hit the doctor. He glanced across to Clive and Sammy who were both watching the heated exchange, their eyes wide. Both men looked scared, Clive was clinging onto Sammy who was trying his best to support the Beta male but was struggling as the two women continued to argue. 

Daniel turned back to Meg who was still remonstrating with the doctor, trying to get more time off for Clive.

‘Meg…’ he said.

But the pack leader was not listening to him. The doctor was still saying that what had happened to Clive was nothing of note.

‘Meg,’ said Daniel again reaching out and touching her arm to get her attention. 

Both women looked at him.

‘You’re scaring them,’ he said nodding towards the two men on the bed.

The doctor spoke first, she was looking at Daniel but her words were directed to Meg, ‘I think you need to get a better control of your Alpha. I’ve never seen such insubordination...would you like some tranquillizers for him?’

‘Let me show you out,’ scowled Meg as she walked from the room.

The two women continued to speak firmly to each other as they walked from the room and down the stairs. Daniel watched them go before turning his attention back to Clive and Sammy. 

‘I’m sorry,’ said Clive quietly.

‘You’ve got nothing to be sorry about Clive,’ said Daniel as he moved to the side of the bed.

He perched on the bed resting his hand on the Beta’s leg. Daniel watched Clive for a few moments, the younger man looked unfocused and lost. The attack had been traumatic and then he had been faced with the humiliation of an examination by an unsympathetic doctor.

‘Sorry Clive,’ said Meg from the doorway, ‘I shouldn’t have got so angry with her, but...I wanted to thump the silly bitch.’

Clive managed a shaky smile. 

‘After a bit of persuasion I’ve got her to sign you off for six weeks and she’s given me a prescription for some painkillers for you,’ she continued, her voice calmer. ‘I’ll go and get them now.’

‘I’ll go with you, I don’t think you should be driving at the moment,’ said Daniel before turning back to Clive and Sammy, ‘will you two be alright? Jamie is still here so you won’t be alone.’

Clive nodded, he was crying again, but Daniel did not want to draw attention to the man’s obvious distress. He suspected Clive wanted to stop being the centre of attention. Sammy was probably the best placed of them all to stay with Clive, his natural calming ability was what the traumatised young man needed most at that moment.

MMMM

Sammy watched the door close as Daniel followed Meg from the room. He squeezed Clive slightly, the Beta opened his eyes and looked at him.

‘Do you want to talk about it?’ asked Sammy. ‘You don’t have to, but you can if you want.’

Clive thought for a moment before responding, his voice still sounded shaky. 

‘I don’t really want to...I don’t want to go through it again…’

Clive paused for a moment. Sammy could tell he was trying not to cry. He lost the battle and let out a sob before clutching at Sammy for a few seconds. 

Sammy did not really know what to do, but at that moment, making his friend comfortable seemed the most pressing thing. After waiting for Clive’s sobs to die down again and for the man to compose himself a little Sammy pushed him gently away.

‘Will you let me clean you up?’ he asked, ‘I can change the sheets and then you can sleep. I won’t leave you for long.’

Clive nodded with a sniff. Sammy disentangled himself from the Beta and quietly walked from the room. He walked down to the kitchen where he found Jamie sat at the breakfast bar.

‘Is he alright, does he need something?’ asked Jamie, unable to hide his worry. 

‘I’m going to help him to clean up a bit and change the sheets...he might be hungry, I don’t know. A drink definitely would be a good idea.’

Jamie nodded and reached up to open one of the cupboards, ‘hot chocolate, can’t go wrong with hot chocolate.’

Sammy collected a bowl and after filling it with warm water carefully carried it back to Clive’s room. The Beta was trying to stand, the pain on his face obvious.

‘No, no, no,’ said Sammy, ‘don’t, you’ll only collapse.’

Clive was breathing fast again, ‘make it stop…’

‘It’s alright,’ soothed Sammy after putting the bowl down, ‘lie back down. Let me clean you up.’

Clive nodded and did as he was told, his movements slow and measured. It was obvious to Sammy that the man was in a lot of pain. The bruises across his back and hips were already looking worse. But, after a surreptitious look, he was fairly sure his friend had stopped bleeding. 

After nipping across the landing and gathering a towel, some flannels, and a change of bed sheets he returned to the bedroom. 

Being as gentle as he could, he wiped away the dried blood from Clive’s buttocks and thighs. Clive was clearly uncomfortable at being washed by the Omega but allowed it to be done. Once Sammy had finished he wrapped the towel around Clive and helped him to sit up. A quiet knock at the door made both men look up.

‘Jamie’s made you a hot chocolate,’ said Sammy.

Clive nodded as Sammy got to his feet and crossed to the door. 

‘Can I help with anything?’ asked Jamie as he handed over a small tray with two mugs of hot chocolate and some biscuits. 

Sammy was a bit surprised when Clive spoke up first, ‘I can’t stand up, but Sammy wants to change the sheets.’

Jamie walked across to the Beta who was looking down.

‘Let us help you, Clive, you help us often enough. What’s happened was not your fault.’

Clive was again blinking back tears as he looked back up and nodded. Jamie easily picked the injured man up again and moved him out of the way of the bed. The Alpha managed to settle them both on the floor leaning against the wall. Clive leaned into Jamie who nodded to Sammy who quickly stripped the bloody sheets from the bed and lay fresh ones down.

‘It was horrible,’ said Clive quietly as Sammy worked, ‘I didn’t want to go in but he grabbed me and then I couldn’t get away...I was too scared.’

Jamie was stroking Clive’s hair as the Beta spoke.

‘I passed out when he...when he knotted me…it hurt so much...I woke up in the back seat of his car. When he stopped he just pulled me out and left me on the pavement. I couldn’t move.’

‘You’re safe now,’ said Jamie quietly.

Sammy watched the brief exchange, Jamie managed to hide the anger from his voice but his eyes gave it away. What had happened to Clive was going to affect the entire pack. 

Once the bed was made Jamie helped Clive to pull on a pair of pyjama bottoms before lifting the slighter man back onto the bed. Sammy covered him with the duvet. Clive twisted onto his side, propping himself up with a couple of pillows.

‘Thank you,’ he said looking at Sammy and Jamie.

‘I’ll leave you to it,’ said Jamie as he turned to the door.

‘No,’ said Clive, ‘please stay, both of you. I’m not sure I’m up to talking, but I don’t want to be alone.’

‘Of course,’ said Sammy who moved to sit on the bed next to Clive. 

Sammy took the Beta’s hand in his again as Jamie pulled a chair over to the side of the bed. Jamie talked to them both about some of the things that people got up to at the club he worked at, Sammy could tell the Alpha was trying to keep Clive distracted. 

They sipped at the hot chocolate and gradually Clive relaxed, although he was still sniffing and wiping tears away occasionally. He hissed in pain a few times when he moved. Both Sammy and Jamie waited for Clive to calm himself each time then carried on the conversation. They were content to wait until Clive wanted to talk, until that time they would look after him and make sure he was kept comfortable.


	3. Chapter 3

_Two days later… ___

__The woman smiled seductively at him, Jamie reciprocated, he tilted his head down slightly and looked up at the woman who was slightly taller than him in her high heeled shoes. He reached out to take her hand and secreted the tip she slipped him in his pocket as she walked past._ _

__Jamie had no interest in the woman or any of the women that he flirted with. It was his job, he was a security guard, his main function was to stop drunk Alphas from trying to get into the club. Alpha males on the arm of a woman were welcome, but lone Alpha’s were turned away. Despite the fact that they were rarely a threat to a woman’s safety, and certainly not a club full of them, the women did not want to have the hassle. And so, Jamie and a couple of other Alpha’s were stationed on the door of the club._ _

__The work was monotonous, it was awkward hours and demeaning. But Jamie had lacked the aptitude for any of the more involved professions that Alphas were allowed to take up. He was not skilled with his hands like Daniel and had failed the entrance exam to join the military. Sometimes he felt as though he were a failure, but then he thought about the children he had fathered and remembered that he was not. He was essentially a model Alpha. He had done what all Alphas were expected to do, he had procreated and he had been lucky to have successfully fathered two children. His state pay reflected that fact._ _

__It annoyed him that he was paid more, simply because he had successfully impregnated Liam twice. Daniel only brought in his pay from his work, he was not allowed any extra benefits despite being the packs first Alpha. It was something they did not talk about, but Jamie knew it was a source of upset for his Alpha. He hoped that Sammy became pregnant by Daniel when they mated in a few months time. They had not really expected Sammy to become pregnant on his first heat after leaving the home, but there was every chance that it could happen the next time. And the relief for them all, particularly Daniel, would be palpable._ _

__Jamie smiled at another woman as she stroked her hand down his arm, he knew that he could easily make a little extra money by selling himself to the woman, but he was not interested. Ever since the evolutionary leap, a lot of the males had lost their heterosexual leanings. The generally accepted reason for this was that males slept with other males in order to procreate, there would be a natural urge, a primal urge to wish to stay with the sex that would continue the species. More than half of the population were in same-sex relationships. Women went with women, men went with men. There were a few Alpha males who sought out their own sex, but generally, the Alpha and the Omega were the standard relationship._ _

__Another woman walked towards him, this one was blonde, her hair flowing over her shoulders. Her breasts were barely contained in her tight dress. Jamie did not understand why women still flaunted their physical shape. Their breasts did nothing now, they did not feed babies anymore. Omega males produced milk for a few months after they gave birth. Woman’s sexual organs were defunct. But the tall Alpha male with the woman was paying her a lot of attention. He had his arm around her and was whispering into her ear._ _

__Jamie wondered if the Alpha was only there for the money. The woman would pay for his entry to the club and would probably slip him a generous amount at the end of the evening._ _

__‘You’re too much,’ squealed the woman in response to something the male said to her._ _

__‘But you want to, don’t you?’ asked the Alpha, his hand slipping from her shoulder down her back and over her arse squeezing it slightly._ _

__The blonde women screamed in delight again. Jamie could tell she was already half cut and the male would probably be carrying her out at the end of the night. He probably would not even need to have sex with her, just see her back to her home and collect his money._ _

__‘Karl, you dog, get off me,’ the woman playfully pushed the man away._ _

__Jamie stared at the man. His mind flashing back to Clive and his pitiful recounting of what had happened when he had been assaulted. The chances of this Karl, being the same one that had been part of the Thornton pack and then attacked his friend were slim. Surely it could not be?_ _

__David, the Alpha who was checking ID’s that night reached out to take the couples cards. He scanned them and handed them back. Jamie glanced at the screen that threw up the details of all the people who entered the club._ _

__He paid no attention to the woman’s details, but the Alpha’s...Karl Curren._ _

__Jamie looked back up at the man who was just about to go past him. He could not help himself, Jamie reached up an open hand and rested his palm on the other man’s chest, stopping him from moving forward. The woman glared at him._ _

__‘What do you think you’re doing? Get off him.’_ _

__Jamie ignored her, he was only thinking of his friend, who was still bed-bound, still in pain, still feeling humiliated every time he had to be helped to the bathroom or to wash because he could not support his own weight._ _

__‘How could you?’ asked Jamie. ‘How could you hurt him? He’d done nothing to you...he was there to help you.’_ _

__‘What the fuck is your problem?’ said Karl, his voice sounded angry, but Jamie could see the guilt in his eyes._ _

__The tall Alpha knew who Jamie was._ _

__Jamie pushed the man back a few paces. Karl allowed himself to be pushed, he did not resist. He looked at the blonde women feigning confusion before looking back at Jamie._ _

__‘My problem,’ said Jamie through clenched teeth, ‘is that you hurt my friend because you lost out on a place in a good pack.’_ _

__‘I don’t know what you’re talking about get off me,’ replied Karl, shoving Jamie away._ _

__The anger within Jamie took over, all he wanted to do was get revenge for his friend. Clive had not deserved to be treated as he had been by this mean-spirited man. All Jamie wanted to do was protect his pack from the threat that Karl posed. Jamie wanted to protect the weaker members of his pack._ _

__He launched himself at Karl, indiscriminately throwing punches at the taller man. Karl did little to defend himself, allowing himself to be hit multiple times. At the moment Jamie did not comprehend why. It was not until afterwards that Jamie knew why. But it was too late then._ _

__Jamie managed to draw blood, he probably broke Karl’s nose with one of his punches. The man was pushing back at him but only with enough effort to keep him from causing serious damage. Jamie was surprised to see Karl smirk after a few seconds._ _

__The pain that radiated out from his back a second later told him why. He realised he had been hit with a taser. His body shook as the taser paralysed him for a few seconds. When the power was turned off he simply crumpled to the ground next to Karl._ _

__He was vaguely aware of the blonde woman rushing to Karl’s side and pulling him away from his attacker._ _

__The police officer who had tasered him stepped up to Jamie and used her boot to turn him onto his front before kneeling beside him and roughly pulling his arms back, handcuffing him._ _

__Jamie was still confused by the pain of the tasering, but he knew enough to know that what was happening to him was bad. He closed his eyes and silently apologised to his pack._ _

__MMMM_ _

__Meg sat on the bench outside the courtroom, she watched Daniel pacing up and down but knew better than to ask him to sit down, the man was too wound up. Sammy was sat beside her, close enough for their arms to be touching. The Omega had been quiet since they walked through the doors into the foyer._ _

__She had told Sammy he did not have to come with them but he had wanted to be there. Meg guessed that he wanted to try to keep Daniel calm. The Alpha was obviously angry, they all were, and was struggling to keep himself in check. The last thing they needed was for Daniel to get himself in trouble as well._ _

__The phone call had shocked them all. Jamie had been arrested for fighting, there were several witnesses who had seen him set upon another Alpha and punch him to the ground, breaking the man’s nose. Their younger Alpha had been tasered and arrested. He was to be tried and, if found guilty, punished with immediate effect._ _

__They did not know the full circumstance, they had not been able to talk to Jamie so had not heard his half of the story. Meg could not believe that the usually kind and gentle Alpha had become so aggressive. Alpha’s did have pent up aggression but most could handle it and Jamie handled his strength and aggression better than most. There had to be more to the incident than they had been told._ _

__A smartly dressed woman holding a clipboard approached her. Sammy moved slightly closer._ _

__‘Rebecca Megan Thornton?’ the woman asked._ _

__Meg nodded._ _

__‘They’re bringing him up now if you would like to take seats in the courtroom. You may be asked to speak on behalf of the defendant. I trust you will be able to control that one?’_ _

__The woman nodded towards Daniel who had stopped pacing and was standing close by. Daniel scowled at the woman._ _

__‘He won’t cause any problems,’ said Meg._ _

__The woman walked away. Daniel stepped up to Meg and spoke quietly._ _

__‘I’ll be a good Alpha for you,’ he said with barely disguised vitriol as he watched the woman with the clipboard disappear along the corridor._ _

__‘I’m sorry, Daniel, sometimes my presence makes things worse doesn’t it?’_ _

__Daniel managed a sad smile, ‘sometimes, yes, but without you, there would be no one to speak on his behalf today.’_ _

__They walked into the courtroom. The room was plain, there were windows high up along the walls and sparse furniture. Six chairs had been put out facing a table which was sat on a raised platform, three chairs faced them from the other side of the table._ _

__A sturdy wooden frame was positioned along the wall to the right of the table, metal rings and leather straps ran down the wooden frame. Meg did not want to think about the wooden frame, she only hoped it was not going to be employed at the end of what she suspected would be a brief hearing._ _

__Justice was swift. Particularly for males. Alpha’s were rarely found innocent and punished harshly for wrongdoings. There was no death penalty but corporal punishment had been brought in to keep the Alpha males under control. Something Meg found abhorrent in a society where the female’s of the species were generally the stronger sex. Only an Alpha in rut was stronger._ _

__The door behind them opened again, two women and a man entered. Meg had to be quick to grab Daniel who had taken a couple of steps forward. Much as she would have liked to let him loose on Karl she knew she could not._ _

__She quickly realised what must have happened. Jamie must have realised who Karl was and out of loyalty to his pack had attacked him. Karl was covered in bruising and had his arm in a sling, he was walking with a slight limp. He glanced at them and for a fraction of a second Meg was sure he winked at her. But she was busy pushing Daniel back to his seat._ _

__‘Do not make it worse,’ she said firmly._ _

__Daniel looked at her, he realised she meant what she had said and settled back in the chair. Sammy was looking at the other Alpha male warily. Daniel put his arm around the Omega protectively. Meg was now glad they had Sammy with them. Daniel would be more interested in keeping Sammy safe than having a confrontation with Karl._ _

__Another door opened and two uniformed women brought Jamie into the room. Their second Alpha was handcuffed with his arms behind him, the women held him firmly. He looked ashamed, barely looking up. Meg made eye contact with him gave him what she hoped was a supportive smile._ _

__‘Please stand,’ said the woman with the clipboard who had followed Jamie in._ _

__They stood, Meg watched as one of the women with Karl helped him up. It was obvious to her that he was making a show of how badly injured he was. She shook her head, knowing there was nothing she could do about it. Getting Jamie back was all that mattered._ _

__The three magistrates, all women, entered and took their seats at the table. They looked at Karl and at Jamie for a few seconds before settling. The head magistrate looked through some papers before nodding for the hearing to begin._ _

__MMMM_ _

__Daniel wanted to rip Karl apart. The injured Alpha was milking the attention he was getting. Poor Jamie was going to pay for defending his friend. Daniel wondered why they were even bothering with the hearing, they all knew it would end with Jamie being found guilty and getting punished. The only thing that had to be decided was what that punishment would be._ _

__‘Madam Magistrate,’ said the woman with the clipboard as she adjusted her glasses to read the charges, ‘James Attwood, second Alpha of the Thornton pack is accused of assaulting Karl Curren yesterday evening at Attwood’s place of work. The assault was unprovoked. Mr Curren has received multiple injuries amounting to GBH.’_ _

__The woman paused for a moment before continuing._ _

__‘There are multiple independent witnesses and good quality CCTV footage of the incident. His guilt is clear.’_ _

__Daniel looked across to Jamie who was still looking at the floor. He could feel the shame and worry coming from the man._ _

__The magistrate looked towards Meg, ‘do you wish to say anything on behalf of the accused?’_ _

__Meg stood up and took a couple of steps forward glancing at Karl as she did so._ _

__‘Madam,’ said Meg in a calm voice, ‘this man,’ she pointed at Karl, ‘was responsible for an attack on another member of my pack three days ago. James only acted out of loyalty…’_ _

__The magistrate was looking behind Meg at Daniel and Sammy, ‘who did he attack, your men look fine.’_ _

__‘Clive Midgley, he is still too unwell to leave the house. Karl Curren assaulted Clive during his rut. Clive was acting as an Omega, but Karl...knotted him causing him great pain and injury.’_ _

__‘This Clive Midgley is a Beta male?’ asked one of the other magistrates, an older woman with greying hair._ _

__Meg nodded._ _

__The three magistrates spoke quietly for a few seconds._ _

__The head magistrate made some notes which she passed to the woman with the clipboard, who after reading the notes nodded and left the room._ _

__The magistrate looked towards Jamie, ‘I had been inclined to have you flogged for assaulting Mr Curren.’_ _

__Daniel looked across and noted that Karl looked disappointed that Jamie was not going to be flogged._ _

__‘However, I believe that would be too harsh a punishment as you had in your own mind a reason to assault him. The assault was still unprovoked and vicious. What happened to the Beta was unfortunate but does not amount to an assault, therefore, you should not have sought revenge.’_ _

__It was Daniel’s turn to stop Meg overstepping the mark. He stopped her from leaping to her feet and interrupting the magistrate._ _

__‘The punishment will fit the crime, James Attwood you will be branded on the arm, twice. Sentence to be carried out immediately.’_ _

__MMMM_ _

__Jamie was scared, he was not ashamed to admit it to himself. Being an Alpha male did not stop him from feeling fear. From the moment the handcuffs had been put on him the night before right up to the moment the sentence had been read out Jamie had been scared._ _

__And ashamed. He had let the pack down. Meg did so much to try to get equal rights for males and he had shown aggression and fought in the street. He had given the women who wanted to oppress the males even further, fuel for their fire. There were women who would like to see the Alpha males permanently restrained, women who did not like the threat the strongest of the men posed._ _

__Jamie could sense the fear coming from Sammy. The young man was terrified, Jamie knew that his own fear would be making the Omega worse._ _

__He wondered how Meg would react when he was released from custody after the punishment. Jamie wished he had not let the pack down._ _

__He looked up as two more uniformed women entered the room and walked to the wooden frame. Jamie was forced to walk over to them, he realised he was shaking, he could not help it. One of the women picked up the branding iron as another lit a blow torch to heat it up._ _

__Jamie could not take his eyes off the flame._ _

__MMMM_ _

__Meg stepped forwards again, going right up to the magistrates who were collecting their papers together, it was obvious they had no intention on staying to watch Jamie receive his punishment. The head magistrate looked up at her._ _

__‘Please, Madam,’ said Meg, trying to remain as polite as possible, ‘please reconsider the punishment. He could be fined, you could stop his benefits...or even a brief custodial sentence?’_ _

__‘Miss Thornton,’ said the grey-haired magistrate, ‘I think you need to learn to control your Alpha…’_ _

__‘But he’s never been in trouble before. He’s a good man.’_ _

__‘That does not matter, he has shown that he is violent. If he is in trouble again we will be forced to remove him from your pack. We cannot have violent Alpha’s roaming the streets.’_ _

__Meg glanced across to Jamie who was staring at the blow torch and branding iron, he looked scared and resigned to his fate. Meg turned back to the women as the head magistrate spoke._ _

__‘If you would like to avoid any further embarrassment we could have him removed now. There would be no questions asked-’_ _

__‘No,’ said Meg firmly, ‘he’s coming back with us.’_ _

__The magistrate shook her head, ‘very well, but listen closely, if he is in trouble again. It won’t just be him that is punished, we are leaving him in your custody. I would like to think you will see to it that he is further punished when you get him home. He needs to learn his place.’_ _

__With that, the three women rose from the table and filed out of the room without a second glance at Jamie._ _

__The woman with the clipboard ushered Meg back to her chair. Sammy reached out for her hand as she sat down._ _

__‘At least you tried,’ he said quietly._ _

__They looked across to Jamie who had been strapped to the wooden frame, his arms were restrained and another leather strap had been buckled around his chest. His right arm was strapped out to the side of him, his sleeve had been pushed up._ _

__Meg pulled Sammy closer to her and reached over to lay a hand on Daniel’s arm. She did not like the idea of him rushing forward to stop the punishment. Daniel looked back at her and nodded._ _

__‘I won’t do anything,’ he said sadly._ _

__Jamie was breathing fast staring at the now heated branding iron. The uniformed women held it next to his arm for a couple of seconds before pressing it against his flesh. Jamie cried out in pain, Meg could tell he had tried to hold the cry in but had failed._ _

__Karl sniggered. Meg turned to stare at him. The woman who had helped him to stand up looked pleased and Karl smiled at Meg, the scorn obvious._ _

__A second scream from Jamie brought Meg’s attention back to her own Alpha. As the brand was removed for the second time Jamie wilted. He had not passed out but seemed incapable of holding himself up. If he had not been strapped to the wooden frame Meg was sure he would have collapsed._ _

__The women looked at Meg for a second before walking away, leaving the injured man where he was. As soon as the women were out of the way Meg let go of Daniel who rushed forward. Sammy followed. The younger man was crying, the mixture of scents in the room had finally overwhelmed him._ _


	4. Chapter 4

If Meg had not laid her hand on his arm Daniel was sure he would not have been able to contain himself, he would have gone to his friend. Daniel was the closest thing he had to a brother and he hated to see the man being punished so viciously. He had been defending his pack but the law saw differently. He was defending a man who was nothing to most people. Daniel realised that Clive would be devastated when he learned what had happened. Clive knew that Jamie had been arrested but did not know why.

When Jamie screamed in pain and slumped forward Daniel wanted to push all the women away from his friend. It had taken a lot of willpower to wait until Meg released him. With Sammy in tow, he had hurried over to Jamie and immediately began to work on undoing the straps holding him to the wooden frame. Sammy had undone the one holding his arm out to the side and gently bent his arm back across Jamie’s chest. The gentle Omega had reached up and wiped the tears from Jamie’s cheek as Daniel had released him. 

Pulling Jamie’s uninjured arm around his shoulder and taking most of his weight Daniel had helped him to walk forward. The younger man had not said anything. Daniel wondered if he was in too much pain and perhaps did not really understand what was happening. 

They passed Karl who watched them carefully, smirking as they went from the room. Daniel filled his mind with thoughts of how he could get revenge. The man had now caused harm to two of his pack. Jamie did not deserve the treatment he had received and Clive had not deserved to be assaulted.

MMMM

Sammy had sat close to Jamie in the back of the car. Daniel had helped the young Alpha to climb in and even buckled up his seat belt for him when he just sat still looking down at the burns to his arm.

No aid had been offered at the court. Sammy found the whole event horrific. He could understand that there was irrefutable proof that Jamie had assaulted Karl but the mitigating circumstances have been completely ignored. The fact that Jamie had attacked Karl two days after the assault on Clive had gone against him to start with. But what upset Sammy the most was that the reason for Jamie attacking Karl had only given him a slightly lesser sentence. Poor Clive really was nothing to most women, Sammy hated it. Hated how he, as an Omega was so important but Clive was ignored, had few rights, and could only earn money by effectively prostituting himself out to be used to ease the primal urges of rutting Alphas. 

And now Jamie had been hurt, Sammy did not see it as a punishment, he had been hurt by the people in charge. By the women who ruled and ordered them all around. 

Sammy reached his arm around Jamie’s broad shoulders and held onto him. He hoped that his proximity would ease the poor man’s pain and worry. Jamie had not spoken a word since Daniel had helped him out of the courtroom and across the carpark to the car.

Meg was driving, she had decided that Daniel was the one who was too wound up to be safe behind the wheel this time.

‘Sammy,’ Meg said glancing at him in the rearview mirror, ‘when we get back can you deal with the burns or should we call the doctor in?’

Sammy wondered if it would be the same doctor that had examined Clive three days before. He decided that looking after his Alpha was up to him. Jamie had been so kind and gentle to him when they shared his heat. The man had calmly helped him through that first scary time. Jamie had shown him that his heat could be enjoyed. The least Sammy could do was help his Alpha, look after him, make him better.

‘I can do it,’ replied Sammy with a nod.

Meg managed a smile before returning her attention to the road as the lights they had stopped at turned to green. 

MMMM 

The Beta males could sense extremes in the other male sexes so he knew it was his pack before the car stopped on the driveway. He craned his neck to see out of the window but knew better than to try to get up from his spot lying on the sofa. 

When Meg had received the call that morning to say that Jamie had been arrested and was to be tried in a couple of hours the rest of the pack had moved quickly. Meg told him what had happened and said that both Sammy and Daniel wanted to go with her to the court. Clive had said straight away that he would be alright for a few hours on his own. 

The past three days had been uncomfortable and embarrassing for him. Once he had got over the initial shock at the assault he had spent his time being cared for by Sammy, who had looked after him almost constantly until Jamie had led him off to sleep in his own bed for a few hours when it became apparent the young Omega was almost asleep on his feet. 

Jamie had taken over for a few hours before he had to go to work. The Alpha had helped him to the bathroom and helped him to take a bath. Jamie had talked about all sorts of things whilst he helped Clive to wash. There was no mention of the bruising that covered most of his body or the difficulty Clive still had moving about. Jamie had simply picked Clive up and carried him back to the bedroom. 

Despite his embarrassment and feeling of shame he found that the love he had received from his pack overwhelming. He rarely saw Meg cry but she had hardly stopped sniffing since the assault. After she had returned from the pharmacy with the painkillers she had needed to be alone for a while. Daniel had ended up telling her she had to join them for dinner, she had acquiesced. They had all gathered in Clive’s room to eat the take away that had been delivered. Daniel had not felt like cooking for them that night. The feeling of togetherness Clive felt as his pack had gathered in his small room had left him with tears falling on his cheeks. None of them had mentioned it, merely carried on with their meal as a family.

Now Clive was lying on the sofa, a blanket covering him. Daniel had told him in no uncertain terms not to move after he had settled him there. The Alpha had carefully scooped him off the bed after Sammy had helped him to dress, and carried him down the stairs. Sammy was a little worried about leaving him but Clive could tell his need to see that Jamie was alright was pulling him to leave. Clive had assured them all that he would behave and to concentrate on getting Jamie back. 

Clive wondered what it was that Jamie had done, fighting was not something any of them would expect the normally gentle man to do. Clive had only really seen Jamie get aggressive when he was on his rut and the young man always seemed terribly embarrassed by his primal urges afterwards, making a point of apologising to everyone. 

He heard the key turn in the lock on the front door. Sammy walked in first. He crossed the room to Clive.

‘Are you OK? Do you need anything?’ Sammy asked. 

Clive shook his head; Sammy looked like he had been crying. 

The next to enter the room was Meg who smiled at Clive briefly before walking through to the kitchen. Daniel followed with Jamie. Clive gasped. 

Jamie was being supported by Daniel who had his arm around the younger man’s waist. Jamie was looking down, his arm held across himself. The brand marks on the Alpha’s forearm stood out starkly. Clive knew that justice was swift and harsh, but he had not expected their Jamie to be on the receiving end. Clive wondered again what had caused Jamie to assault another Alpha.

Meg reappeared with their first aid box. Sammy took it from him and laid it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He sat on the table as he opened the box and started to sort through what he would need. 

Daniel gently pushed Jamie forward a step but the young Alpha stopped, he looked up, at Meg, with tears in his eyes.

‘If you want to replace me...I won’t resist…’ he said before looking down again, ‘what I did...I didn’t think...I just…’

Meg closed her eyes for a second before taking a deep breath and stepping up to Jamie, she rested her hands on his shoulders forcing the man to look at her.

‘No, Jamie. I do not want to have you replaced. What you did was…’ she paused trying to find the words, ‘it was lovely.’

Clive frowned, he desperately wanted to know what had happened but did not feel that he should interrupt. 

‘But I brought shame…’

‘No,’ said Daniel this time, ‘I probably would have done the same, the bastard deserved it.’

Daniel glanced at Clive for a few seconds before forcing Jamie forward and pushing him to sit on the sofa. Jamie sat quite stiffly, he had gone back to looking down. Sammy quietly went about dealing with the burns. Jamie allowed the Omega to tend to him without complaint. 

Daniel said quietly, ‘he saw Karl at the club and assaulted him. The magistrate came very close to having him flogged. But Meg told her why Jamie had been aggressive and the magistrate lowered the penalty if you can call that,’ Daniel pointed at the brandings on Jamie’s arm, ‘lowering the penalty.’

‘You were defending me?’ said Clive, stunned at the turn of events.

‘Of course, he was,’ said Sammy looking across to him, ‘I may be the newest member of this pack, but I can see how much you mean to them. Just because you’re only a Beta, doesn’t mean you are any less loved by the rest of us.’

Sammy had pulled a face when he referred to Clive as ‘only a Beta’. Clive looked at each of the other pack members in turn, finally making eye contact with Jamie.

‘You were punished for...for…’ Clive was breathing fast, he could not understand what had happened. 

Meg knelt next to him and leaned forward pulling Clive into a tight embrace.

Jamie leaned across and rested his hand on Clive's leg, Clive gripped the hand tightly.

‘I was so angry when I saw him,’ said Jamie as Sammy gently wrapped a bandage around his forearm. 

‘You didn’t have to get in trouble for me,’ said Clive when he had calmed down a little.

‘I didn’t really think about what I was doing at the time Clive,’ replied Jamie.

Clive detected a slight shake in Jamie’s voice still. The man was in pain and obviously felt ashamed at his behaviour. But Clive was still shocked that the Alpha had done what he had in defence of him. 

‘But they hurt you,’ said Clive again.

Meg had perched on the edge of the sofa, her arm around Clive, she looked at the other men in the room, Clive followed her gaze. Sammy was tidying away the first aid kit, trying not to show how upset at all that had gone on he was. Daniel was standing in a pose that could only be described as protective of his pack and Jamie, his face a little flushed with the shock was still struggling to make eye contact with anyone. 

Clive looked at her as she turned her attention to him.

‘I think now,’ she said, ‘would be a good time for me to ask you, again, if you would consider letting me be your guardian.’

She paused giving Clive a look that told him no response was required just yet.

‘It won’t mean you would be reliant on us...you could help around the house; you know how lazy Jamie is, he can’t do chores for anything, and you’re the best one of us at sorting out the garden. I’ve killed more plants than I’ve successfully grown. We’re all working full time.’

‘But I wouldn’t be bringing in any money…’

‘I don’t care, Clive, you wouldn’t have to go off and submit to men you don’t know...or...men you do.’

Clive looked away from Meg, considering what she was asking. She was right that if he had not been attacked by Karl, Jamie would not have reacted as he had done and now be sat in shock on the other end of the sofa. Was what had happened his fault because he had not taken Meg up on her offer before? 

‘If I did, I would still want to be your Beta,’ said Clive after a few moments thought. He looked at Jamie, Daniel and Sammy in turn. ‘If any of you needed the services of a Beta you would have me.’

Daniel nodded, ‘of course; we trust you, Clive.’

‘If I needed help with my heat, I wouldn’t want a strange Alpha serving me again...the heats I had in the home were horrible compared with…’

Sammy trailed off his cheeks reddening as he glanced shyly at Jamie who managed a self-conscious smile for the first time since his return from the court. 

Clive, tears in his eyes, watched the exchange, he realised Meg was right. His pack would look after him and he could, in turn, look after them. He looked at Meg and nodded slowly. Meg smiled, she squeezed him for a moment before standing.

‘I have some forms to fill in,’ she said decisively.

‘I’m going to cook us up some dinner,’ said Daniel. ‘Sammy, come and help me.’

Sammy nodded. Clive realised Daniel wanted to give him and Jamie a moment alone.

‘Thank you,’ Clive said when Daniel and Sammy had disappeared. ‘I hadn’t expected anything to come of the attack.’

Jamie looked at him, ‘neither did I.’

‘Does it hurt?’ Clive asked looking at the bandage around Jamie’s arm.

Jamie nodded, ‘most painful thing I’ve ever experienced,’ he said.

Clive managed to shift slightly on the sofa and nodded to the spot next to him, Jamie smiled and twisted around to lie next to the Beta. Clive put his arm around Jamie. It took him a few minutes but Jamie eventually relaxed and drifted off to sleep. Clive smiled again at the thought that his pack had protected him, rallied around immediately after the attack and then got revenge for him. Despite the revenge coming at a cost to the young Alpha, Clive was proud of them all. 

His pack. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he really belonged somewhere.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. There will be more.


End file.
